Chapter 9 - The Minutes That Matter

Dr. Chen didn't waste time being comforting in a way that would hide the truth. She called for the obstetric emergency team, checked Emily's blood pressure, and watched the baby's heart tracing while the room filled with practiced movement.

"The bleeding and contractions make me worried about a placental abruption," she told Emily. "If the baby isn't tolerating it or the bleeding worsens, we may need to deliver by cesarean section."

"She's not due for another month."

"I know. Our neonatal team is ready for a premature delivery. But we have to make decisions based on what's happening now."

A monitor beeped. The fast, steady rhythm dipped, climbed, and dipped again. Emily gripped Raymond's hand so tightly his wedding ring left a mark in her palm.

"When your mother was sick," he said, "she made me promise you'd never have to face the world alone. I thought keeping the business away from you would protect you. I was wrong."

"Don't apologize like I'm leaving."

"Then don't you dare leave."

She almost smiled. A nurse placed a consent form on the bed. Dr. Chen explained the surgery, the risks, and the likely need for neonatal support. Emily listened and signed with a hand that would not hold still.

"Do you want me to contact Preston?" Rebecca asked quietly.

"No. Give medical updates only to Uncle Raymond."

Emily had spent years softening her words to spare Preston's pride. This time she said no without an explanation. It felt like opening a window in a burning house.

The team began moving the bed. On the way to the operating suite, she glimpsed the brushed-silver sign she'd passed a hundred times: WHITMORE-SAINT CLAIRE MEDICAL CENTER. She used to see Preston's name first. Now she saw her mother's.

"If the baby needs a name," she told Raymond, "it's Nora. Nora Eleanor."

"You'll tell her yourself."

May you like

MY FATHER SLAPPED ME IN FRONT OF 500 PEOPLE AT GRADUATION—THEN I EXPOSED...

My father slapped me across the face in front of 500 people—just seconds after I received my college diploma.My graduation cap hit...

She Tried to Kill a Disabled Woman at a Billionaire’s Pool Party—But One...

She had already lost her leg. Now, they were trying to take her life.At a luxury mansion filled with millionaires, a terrified you...

THEY DECLARED HER DEAD—THEN ORDERED HER CREMATED WHILE SHE WAS STILL ALI...

They were about to burn her alive.Her death certificate had already been signed. Her body was scheduled for immediate cremation. A...

The doors swung open. Dr. Chen's voice was firm. "Fetal heart rate is dropping. We need to move now."

For one terrible moment, the monitor showed a number Emily could hardly bear to see.